IL stinks to say the least.

so me and some army buddys that are home went out and had a guys night out at the range. a buddy and myself who just acquired romanian ak 47's were just itching to try out our new toys. so before hand we had called an indoor range to see if they allow rifles on their range (since the other one around are area dont allow rifles) if it would be fine. all they asked was what caliber it was. we told them 7.62 and they said it was fine. so we loaded up our toys and headed on over. we get there sign in and all that good stuff. after setting up the evil jihadist paper target, we locked and loaded and started to shoot. one magazine later we had another patron come up to us and compliment the weapon. then he turns and says '' ya'll cant shoot that here. its illegal, so put it away". so that burst our bubble and we put it away. come to find out that in cook county or crook county as i like to refer to it (sales tax went from 7.5 % to 10% ridiculous) its illegal to have said weapon. thank god i live in a different county. i just love how in illinois you cant have a ccw, and now i learn that we cant have ak47s in cook county, yet it is legal to have an ar, 50 cal bmg etc.... why is there this discrimination against the ak in cook county? i can understand the gun ban in the city. but then again i would feel so much more comfortable being in the city if i was able to carry my sidearm. one victory is that were able to carry in our glove boxes or center consoles, however what good does that do you if youre walking back to you car and some creep tries to jack you? well all in all i just wanted to blow some steam. anyone know where i can shoot my toy in illinois outside of crook county?indoor range would be nice.

As you'll see from the above link, the Cook County AWB bans a wide variety of rifles, including the AR-15 and its variants. If ever there was a plain-as-day violation of the Second Amendment, this is it.

Fortunately, this absurd law is currently being challenged in the Illinois Supreme Court and (we hope) will soon be overturned. The ruling is expected AFTER the US Supreme Court rules on the McDonald v. Chicago case this summer.

As for places to shoot AKs and ARs near Chicago, my preferred ranges are:

Both have excellent outdoor ranges. Buffalo, in particular, has a plinking spot they call "the pit" where you can shoot just about anything, including old boats, TVs, etc. Lots of fun.

JR Shooting Sports in Aurora, IL has a very nice and modern 25-yard indoor range. They allow AR-15 rifles if you shoot American-made, open tip factory ammo. Their prices are quite high ($36 for unlimited range time, I think). I avoid it, though, because I find the staff there to be rude and unfriendly. You'd have to call to see if they'll allow your AK.

One other thing I neglected in my response: Don't forget that the "console carry" you mentioned requires your pistol to be UNLOADED. In other words, you can keep a pistol in your vehicle's console with a loaded magazine next to it, but the magazine must be out of the gun and the console must be fully closed.

Also, be extra careful if you enter the Chicago city limits with a pistol stored in your vehicle's console this way. I'm told the Chicago Police are quite aggressive regarding the city's handgun ban and that if you're caught, you'll almost certainly be arrested.

One other thing I neglected in my response: Don't forget that the "console carry" you mentioned requires your pistol to be UNLOADED. In other words, you can keep a pistol in your vehicle's console with a loaded magazine next to it, but the magazine must be out of the gun and the console must be fully closed.

Also, be extra careful if you enter the Chicago city limits with a pistol stored in your vehicle's console this way. I'm told the Chicago Police are quite aggressive regarding the city's handgun ban and that if you're caught, you'll almost certainly be arrested.

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yes i do keep it unloaded in my center console, however i do keep a full magazine of hollowpoints that is easily accessible should i need to get to it.as far as me trolling thru the city i try to avoid it if it is unavoidable i keep a good look out and pray i dont get pulled over, hopefully detering a bogus traffic stop with my vet platesif it works with the cops following me too closely.

But see if you were a drug dealer or a gang banger it would be ok to posess an AK.... I personally have something similar and am never gonna give it up.....I too live in Illinois but away though no far enough from ****cago..... I actully think they need to secede from us and let illinois become a prosperous and corruption free state.... Man it just bugs the hell out of me most of the time.... ****gago sucks....

WHEREAS, concern exists that military-style assault weapons are designed and manufactured for the sole purpose of killing a large number of people in a short period of time; and

WHEREAS, many children and adults are killed or injured by military-style assault weapons;

WHEREAS, the result of an advisory referendum would constitute the opinion of the residents of Cook County on whether other types of military-style assault weapons should be banned in Cook County the State of Illinois;

WHEREAS, it is deemed to be in the public interest to submit this question of public policy to the voters of Cook County;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT,

Section 1. The following question of public policy shall be submitted to the voters of this county as an advisory referendum at the general election scheduled for Tuesday, November 7, 2006, consistent with the applicable provisions of the Illinois Election Code; to wit;

“For the health and safety of children and the entire community, shall the State of Illinois enact a comprehensive ban on the manufacture, sale, delivery and possession of military-style assault weapons and .50 caliber rifles?”

Section 2. This advisory referendum shall be conducted in accordance with provisions of the Illinois Election Code pertaining to the conduct of the general election scheduled for November 7, 2006.

Section 3. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval.

Approved and adopted this 12th day of July, 2006.

____________________________

John H. Stroger, Jr.

President

Cook County Board of Commissioners

"WHEREAS, many children and adults are killed or injured by military-style assault weapons;"

as far as i can remember majority of the shootings that occur are with handguns. way to go stroger! way to poop on the second amendment. i honestly didnt know that IL was this bad when it came to gun laws, now the more I read up on stuff the more I am sickened to my stomach but censoring my right to bear arms!and the ironic thing about these people who are anti gun, probably owns guns themselves. oh the hypocrity of politicians.

though i was raised here in chicago and just outside the city mostly, the last time i had such great interest in collecting rifles and guns, the urge to buy and ability to possess was completely contained by my underage.

I think the key to range time with any assualt rifles is having or knowing someone with 10+ private acres that likes to shoot.

and actually, i was just at JR's shooting sports last night for the first time....

nice show room...range was ok..i didn't find all the staff that overly friendly either but i cant say they were rude to us. they said they rent an ar style in .223 and yeah, they do require american made ammo if brought.

i cant move out of the state any time soon, but i'm looking into acreage elsewhere for a nice getaway....hopefully ..some day

though i was raised here in chicago and just outside the city mostly, the last time i had such great interest in collecting rifles and guns, the urge to buy and ability to possess was completely contained by my underage.

I think the key to range time with any assualt rifles is having or knowing someone with 10+ private acres that likes to shoot.

and actually, i was just at JR's shooting sports last night for the first time....

nice show room...range was ok..i didn't find all the staff that overly friendly either but i cant say they were rude to us. they said they rent an ar style in .223 and yeah, they do require american made ammo if brought.

i cant move out of the state any time soon, but i'm looking into acreage elsewhere for a nice getaway....hopefully ..some day

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same here i was raised mostly in the city, til moving to the suburbs. i haven't been to JR's sports, i have been to buffalo, had an awesome time there too bad they're not open year round. the more i read that memorandum or whatever i cant help but think '' when in then hell in the history of crook county or illinois did any one get killed by .50 cal rifle?" i know first hand that there are parts of the city that is rough, but to ban "assault" rifle in the entire county is pretty damn bad.i can understand to a reasonable point if they ban them from the city itself. considering the steady uprise of the taxes they implement. which really raises another good question, where the hell is all the money going? i know for a fact that property taxes in cook has risen in the past 5 years. until me and and the wife convince our family's (and we both come from big families and we're both close to our family)to move to another state we're pretty much tied to this state. i honestly hope this steaming pile of poop gets turned over real soon. i know there is something about a cc thing that they are trying to pass for illinois. hopefully it will pass. but there are a lot of people opposed to firearms but i guess time will tell.

same here i was raised mostly in the city, til moving to the suburbs. i haven't been to JR's sports, i have been to buffalo, had an awesome time there too bad they're not open year round. the more i read that memorandum or whatever i cant help but think '' when in then hell in the history of crook county or illinois did any one get killed by .50 cal rifle?" i know first hand that there are parts of the city that is rough, but to ban "assault" rifle in the entire county is pretty damn bad.i can understand to a reasonable point if they ban them from the city itself. considering the steady uprise of the taxes they implement. which really raises another good question, where the hell is all the money going? i know for a fact that property taxes in cook has risen in the past 5 years. until me and and the wife convince our family's (and we both come from big families and we're both close to our family)to move to another state we're pretty much tied to this state. i honestly hope this steaming pile of poop gets turned over real soon. i know there is something about a cc thing that they are trying to pass for illinois. hopefully it will pass. but there are a lot of people opposed to firearms but i guess time will tell.

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i've given up on pondering the City's logic, tho all this local financial chaos might swing the pendulum back to the right here soon enough....Daley's worn out, blago f'd the dem's chances up real good, obama is indirectly creating a stronger rep base.....who knows we could switch sides like NY when Bloomberg got in....

wish i could follow those orders CA357.....

my parents stay out in apache junction, AZ so i'm looking around northern arizona for a lil getaway too. even tho someday often sounds like a sarcastic never, i have found in a lot of cases, it does eventually arrive.

we've been lookin in arizona too, florida was in consideration, and texas. im starting to wonder if cook county has a secret flag hidden away that has "communist county of cook" on it...they might as well..and i agree with you completely mack. and tourists often like the name "windy city" if they only knew the bull poop!